To wonder who funds a teacher's school trip

[iwasjustwonderingreally]

My daughter went skiing with her school in February half term.

Four teachers accompanied them.

Do teachers pay for themselves, or a contribution, (I appreciate they are working though), or is the cost to the pupil inflated to cover the cost of the teachers?

Letting off steam and having a laugh in the evening with colleagues over a glass of wine is massively different to being drunk. I’d happily get up and dance/home around etc without being pissed.

If you’re dc came to harm that’s hugely different from hypothetical scenarios.

@beattieedny

Yes. Or the school are transparent about how the teacher's place is funded. Holidays are not a human right.

It’s not a holiday though, is it? Not for the staff.

They gave up their half term to look after other people’s kids.

Where is this school?

I'm considering applying to work there!!!
Never heard anything like it, sounds great for staff.

I don't now of any out and out holidays for staff like this, but I have worked in schools where teachers do exchange trips on school time with school money. E.g. to help set up a school in the developing world.

No idea whether teachers had a drink or not when DS went on his ski trip as a Y5. But I was so incredibly grateful to the staff taking 30 Y5 and Y6 children away in half term, some of them giving up time with their own DC, that I organised a collection and met them off the coach with a couple of crates of wine and a selection of beers to thank them. They definitely deserved it!

@Meggyd2

You don't have to send your kids on trips in the holidays. Why not entertain them yourselves?

The trips are sold to the kids as a great time, which they will have. It's a peer thing - are you going skiing with school? They want to go with friends. The richer kids and the better behaved tend to go.

Parents do entertain their children. Why are some so sour and defensive about the realities of what occurs on a school trip - teachers drinking whilst trip which can be a jolly is paid for my parents. Come on all teachers are not hard done by work all hours people. Some are realistic and honest and know where the perks are to be had. Free skiing, Drinking. A bit away with another staff member (yes shock horror it happens more often than straight knickers thinks).

Bottom line is, all school trips happen because staff want to do them. There's nothing compulsory about any of them. The reasons my well be altruistic, but it's all by choice.

These half term ski trips have gone on for decades and there are always plenty of staff volunteers and parents prepared to pay for DC to go, otherwise they wouldn't run. So everyone must be getting something from it.

Whatever, trying to argue that it's OK to be drunk when looking after children, in a professional capacity is madness.

There are normally free teacher places per 10/12 children, so effectively the cost is spread.

"If the girls are in the boys room then they're not doing a very good job."
A friend of mine had that accusation levelled at her by a parent once, after she had actually had to sit on the landing outside their daughter's room until one in the morning to stop her coming out. Eventually, she believed her to be asleep, so went to bed herself. Said girl then nipped out to her boyfriend's room.

Usually places offer a free teacher place for every so-many kids. that's venues. For coaches and things like that obviously the price is split between the kids. The teacher does not pay.

As others have said you wouldn't do it if you had to pay. It is not just the kids up half the night and the hospital trips for the sprains, but the calls from parents wanting updates, the parent who fails to turn up when the coach drops off at the leaving one teacher waiting hours to find an adult to hand the kid back to, it is the paperwork before hand (and after) it is the worry of the risk to the kids and the risk to your career if something goes wrong, it is paying for your gear for specialist trips - your hiking boots, sleeping bag etc, ski clothes, etc., it is leaving your own kids and families for a trip... so much more.

I remember missing my teacher Dad so much when he took a school holiday for a week one half term a year every year. I couldn't understand why he took other kids away and left me and my sibling behind with mum. One year he put his foot down and we all went with the school (Mum was a teacher too so an extra pair of hands, no we did not go free, no Mum did not get paid). At 11 seeing behind the scenes I could not believe what was going. One episode was a parent ringing and insisting her child was taken to mass on the Sunday. One teacher, a practising Catholic was happy to take the kid. Another parent, devote Methodist, got wind and rang the hotel insisting her child was taken to chapel, as the other RC trip had been agreed it was felt after much discussion that they had to agree to do this too. In the end they did a run to three different churches. It was ridiculous.

On another trip he had to deal with kids being evacuated because of an IRA bomb scare - this was 1979.

You would not believe the bizarre things that happen on trips that teachers have to negotiate. They are such hard work.

@Silverclocks

Bottom line is, all school trips happen because staff want to do them. There's nothing compulsory about any of them. The reasons my well be altruistic, but it's all by choice.

These half term ski trips have gone on for decades and there are always plenty of staff volunteers and parents prepared to pay for DC to go, otherwise they wouldn't run. So everyone must be getting something from it.

Whatever, trying to argue that it's OK to be drunk when looking after children, in a professional capacity is madness.

I don't know any staff who want to do them exactly.

Usually they know how much the kids enjoy them, know that these trips give some kids the opportunity to try something that their families wouldn't otherwise be able to fund, know that they're expected because previous cohorts have done them, and so feel a sense of duty.

Teachers don't get paid for the school holidays, so they are volunteering their time if the trips take place in a holiday.

If they take place during term time, the teacher will be paid for 5.5 hours of every day that they are on the trip.

They also have to buy any clothing or equipment - walking boots for example - pay for childcare for their own children while they are away, put dogs in kennels and so on.

I don't think teachers should be drunk on a trip, absolutely not, but a single drink is probably acceptable, or a night off on a rota.

A pp said staff do nothing during the hours the kids are at ski school. Well often there will be calls to make or at least one pupil who is unwell and not skiing. And don't forget that, once the kids return, they are on duty for the rest of the day and overnight.

There's another thread running about teacher retention. Some of the attitudes on this thread are part of the problem.

Hopefully by the parents of the children who are being supervised. It’s 24/7 and exhausting, would be ridiculous if teachers had to pay. It’s not a holiday for them

I don't know any staff who want to do them exactly.

You must work in very different schools to me then. They ski trip is so over subscribed for staff, my last school had to draw lots.

Personally I've never been on a residential trip in 20 years, I don't want to give up my holiday and no one makes me, but there do seem to be plenty of staff who in enjoy these trips.

@AnxiousHeffalump

The cost is covered by the total payment. Sadly, the cost of extra childcare for the teachers’ own children is not covered, so many teachers are left out of pocket.

This. Also teachers then work 24/7 on any trip and do not get any break at all morning noon or night. We grateful they are willing to work in their holidays for your children to enjoy the trip. It’s not much fun for teachers.

Also I know the D of E ones here do Friday night to Sunday night - back at 9 pm and they are still back at work bright eyes on the Monday morning at 8 am whereas 6 parents kept their children off as they were ‘tired’ bit of a kick in the guts for the teachers I would have thought as they were the ones driving the minibus back at that hour and when the kids had all been collected / doing all
Their admin etc

At the independent school where I used to work teachers on trips abroad (rather than DofE, etc) used to pay half the adult cost. It may have been that organised tours gave a certain number of free places, but twice as many staff went to share the load.

On tours which a member of staff organised independently (one had been running for years) there were always two men and one woman, or two women and one man, and they paid 50% anyway.

Teachers being drunk in charge of teens is irresponsible. I might have a few drinks when we are away but never so much that I couldn’t look after my dc if there was an issue

OP - is the trip back? Is the child ok? What was the outcome for the ill child? Was an ambulance called?
How exactly did the teachers fail their duties? Driving would not have been involved.

So many circumstances we don't know about.
Doing residential trips is EXHAUSTInG!!

Yes All my children went skiing with their school and yes am sure we paid for the teachers…fair enough. Big responsibility for them and a great holiday for the kids !

When my kids were at school it was quite common for travel companies to offer 1 free place per x number of pupils. 40 pupils usually needed 4 teachers to supervise so I would imagine it was 1-10

I hate this sort of thread.

I no longer do residential or foreign trips because of the sort of attitudes expressed on this thread. If you don’t like teachers taking your child on a trip then don’t bloody sign up for it. It’s hard work (before, during and after)and nothing but a load of can-carrying and fifteen tonnes of grief if even the slightest thing goes wrong (‘My child left a sock in Barcelona. What are you going to do about it?’)The sense of responsibility, 24 hours a day over many days, often in a place you are unfamiliar with yourself, whilst trying to keep teenagers from getting drunk/having sex/having terrifying accidents/not sneaking out of the hotel etc is very wearing. Our MAT policy (rightly) forbids staff from drinking alcohol on trips, so you can’t even console yourself with a sip of warm Sancerre out of a hotel room coffee cup. It’s hardly a week of decadent indulgence. I’ve spent many, many hours sitting in hotel room corridors until 3 a.m. to ensure everyone is where they should be, then up and banging on doors to get everyone ready to go for an early start at 6 a.m.

It’s a young teacher’s game, that.

Usually at least one staff member will abstain from drinking each day/evening to be available in an emergency. A relative used to go along as a non skier to sit out with any injured or non skiing kids during the day and entertain them. Are you absolutely certain of the facts?

Is the OP ever coming back?

I would assume their costs are added to the cost for each pupil - I would consider that fair and hope they get paid as well.

On residential I am on call 24 hours a day. I am not paying for that thanks very much. It’s not a holiday by any stretch of the imagination. If it was I would not have chosen to do half the things I’ve done on residential! There’s never been time paid back or given in lieu and certainly not any extra payments or overtime. Kids get so much from residential trips but I can see a time when they struggle to get enough staff to run them.

@Sunsnd

Hahaha, you would have to pay me to go on a school trip accompanying a load of teenagers. Doesn’t matter where it is! I can’t believe you think teachers should have to pay to go. They are working not having a jolly.

I know they are working, and of course they shouldn’t have to pay, but my teacher friend still refers to the ski trips as “a jolly” and picks destinations based on his personal preferences, whatever the cost implications of his preferences for the parents… 😐

Come and let us know what happens op.

Drunk teachers on residential trips make newspaper headlines, and will be suspended pending an inquiry.

How is your friend's dd? Has she recovered from her illness?